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5. Star Wars Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Jedi Training Academy

Rumors of an area dedicated to Star Wars at Disney's Hollywood Studios have been circulating ever since Disney acquired Lucasfilm back in October 2012. With a series of new movies in the pipeline, it's a near-certainty that Disney is working on new attractions based on the franchise. Disney's Hollywood Studios would be their natural home, given that it already hosts Star Tours: The Adventures Continue.

Back in 2013, Screamscape suggested that the land would be built in two phases. The first would potentially feature a Mos Eisley Cantina-themed restaurant, an enhanced Jedi Academy show and a basic children's ride. The second would boast a more ambitious E-Ticket attraction.

However, it’s likely that the Imagineers have been working on various different scenarios for Star Wars Land, and we’ll have to wait and see what ultimately becomes a reality.

Status: With the American Idol Experience and the Studio Backlot Tour having closed, it’s clear that there are big changes afoot at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With Pandora not due to open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom until 2017, though, it could be the end of the decade before we see Star Wars Land happen.

4. New Fantasyland at Tokyo Disneyland

New Fantasyland artwork

While Tokyo DisneySea features many original attractions, Tokyo Disneyland is largely populated by clones of rides at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. No surprise, then, to hear rumors that the park's Fantasyland will undergo a similar transformation to that of its Florida counterpart, adding versions of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid.

Status: This one's just at the rumor stage at the moment, but it would be surprising if Tokyo Disneyland's management aren't eyeing clones of the Magic Kingdom's latest additions. Earlier in 2014, the resort’s owners, the Oriental Land Company, promised to spend nearly $5 billion on updates over the next 10 years, and it’s possible that some New Fantasyland concepts could form a part of that spending.

3. Pixar Studios at Walt Disney Studios, Paris

Ratatouille

The Toon Studio area of alt Disney Studios already features a host of Pixar-themed rides, including Crush’s Coaster, Ratatouille: The Adventure, Cars Race Rally and the entire Toy Story Playland sub-land.  It would make sense, then, as part of the planned overhaul of the entire park, for the entire area to be given a Pixar makeover.

The main new attraction as part of this makeover, according to Disney and More, will be a version of the wildly-popular Toy Story Midway Mania, already a smash-hit at the Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World and the Tokyo Disney Resort. Hopefully, Disney will include three tracks in this version, to overcome the chronic capacity problems that have afflicted the version at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Status: With the greater financial freedom it has been afforded by Disney, we think that Disneyland Paris will take the opportunity to upgrade Walt Disney Studios. And importing attraction concepts from the US is a relatively affordable way of doing this.

2. Cars Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Radiator Springs Racers

Cars Land has proven to be a massive hit at Disney California Adventure since its 2012 debut, with its headline ride - Radiator Springs Racers - cementing a spot in the top 20 theme park rides in the world according to Theme Park Tourist readers. Given the apparently urgent need for Disney to do something to take on Harry Potter at Universal Orlando, it was inevitable that rumors would surface about a clone of the land coming to Florida. The potential destination? You guessed it: Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The land would probably replace much of the former Studio Backlot Tour, as well as the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. It would be headlined by Radiator Springs Racers (despite the similarities to Epcot's Test Track), although this could potentially be housed indoors due to issues related to the Florida climate.

Status: There is no doubt that plans to bring Cars Land to Florida have been on the drawing board at Walt Disney Imagineering for some time. However, it’s entirely possible that something altogether less ambitious is planned for the former Studio Backlot Tour area…

1. Pixar Playland at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Toy Story Land

Now that the Studio Backlot Tour has been closed at Disney's Hollywood Studios, rumors have been flying about what might replace it. Though Cars Land has been touted as potential replacement, by far the strongest rumor about what will become of this new space is a Pixar-themed area aimed at younger guests (similar to Toy Story Playland, which can already be found at Walt Disney Studios, Paris as well as Hong Kong Disneyland).

This new area would feature several themed play structures with characters from the Toy Story films as well as some lightly-themed midway rides (making it a much cheaper option than Cars Land). Toy Story Midway Mania would also receive an upgrade, adding a third track to increase its capacity.

Status: No announcement has been made yet regarding this project's existence, but it's possible that we could hear something before 2014 is over.

 
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